XIIIIIIIIY 8-+-trk+-tr0 7+lwqpvlpzpp0 6p+n+p PzP R+RmK-0 xabcdefghy

Transcription

1 This game is annotated by Tal in the Soviet tournament book, Mezhzonaln'yi Turnir - Leningrad 1973 (Fizkultura i Sport, Moscow 1974). The translation from the original Russian is by Douglas Griffin. Tal Hübner 4 th round, FIDE Interzonal Tournament, Leningrad, e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 I do not at all consider this move to be stronger than 5.Bd3. I simply did not want to repeat the variation (which is objectively not the easiest for Black) which my opponent had handled very finely in the game with Karpov. (Translator s note: this is a reference between the 2 nd -round game between Karpov and Hübner, which ended in a draw after a very complicated struggle.) 5...Qc7 6.Be2 b5 7.a3 I very much wanted to play 7.e5?!, aiming at the cost of a pawn to win time for the mobilisation of force. Possibly, it is only in this way that the somewhat risky nature of Black's previous move can be emphasised. Not finding a forced win (and of course, there is not one to be found), White plays more restrainedly. 7...Bb7 8.f4 Nc6 In a game v. Hort (Central Chess Club Tournament, Moscow 1963) I continued 8...b4. After 9.axb4 Bxb4 10.Qd3 Black obtained an excellent game. However, continuing 10.Ra4! Hort could, it seems, have placed Black's previous action under doubt. From this, the continuation chosen by Hübner is more reliable. 9.Be3 Nxd4 White was of course not counting on the variation 9...Nge7?? 10.Ndxb5. 10.Qxd4 Ne7 11.Rd1 Rd8 'Just in case', defending the d7 pawn an extra time. Possibly, more accurate was 11...Nc6 12.Qd2 and only now 12...Rd8 (losing immediately is 12...Na5 on account of 13.Bb6!) Nc6 13.Qd2 It was possible, exploiting the move-order permitted by Hübner, to continue 13.Qb6 with transposition into a very slightly better endgame. However, my lamentable tournament position dictated the aspiration to sharpen the struggle at any cost. For the sake of fairness I will add that at the board I did not manage to find a clear way to achieve an advantage after 13...Qxb6 14.Bxb6 Rc8 either after 15.e5, or after other continuations Be7

2 But this inaccuracy could have led my opponent into more serious difficulties. Possible was 13...d6, which would most probably of all have led to the situation that occurred in the game, while the most 'Sicilian' appears to be 13...Na trk+-tr0 7+lwqpvlpzpp0 6p+n+p p PzP-+0 3zP-sN-vL zPPwQL+PzP0 1+-+R+RmK-0 14.Qe1 Again, but this time altogether without justification, White avoids simplification of the game, but undoubtedly favourable for White is the typical combination: 14.Nd5! exd5 15.exd5, after which both 15...Bf6 (the position after d6 hardly needs to be assessed) 16.dxc6 dxc6 17.Qb4, and 15...Qd6 16.dxc6 Qxd2 17.Rxd2 led to a prospectless situation for Black. I had seen the possibility of 14.Nd5, but somewhere around here the contours of the coming attack, involving the sacrifice of the exchange, had already dawned on me d6 Castling for Black is for the time being unfavourable on account of 15.Qf2. Possibly, also now the strongest would have been the move 14...Na5. 15.f5 White had pinned great hopes on this plainly aggressive move. He willingly cedes the important square e5, aiming to exploit the retardment of the enemy king in the centre of the board. Thus, in reply to 15...Ne5 there follows with great force 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Qg3 Bf6 18.Bh5+ Nf7 19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Qg7. Therefore Black's reply is forced f6 It is precisely towards this position that White had 'urged' all of his preceding moves. According to the preliminary calculations, the combination thus begun should have led by force to a clearly better endgame for him. Unfortunately, however... But let us not run ahead Bxf6 17.Rxf6 gxf6 18.Qh4 With other move-orders White achieves little - on 18.Rd3 there could follow 18...Ne5 19.Bh6

3 Ng6 20.Rg3 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Kh8. Now the transfer of the knight will not do. The point is that after 18...Ne5 19.Qxf6 Ng6 White plays not 20.Bh6 Qc5+ and 21...Qe5, but 20.Nd5!, and only then 21.Bh6 with unavoidable mate Qe7 8-+-tr-trk+0 7+l+-wqp+p0 6p+nzppzp-+0 5+p P+-wQ0 3zP-sN-vL zPP+L+PzP0 1+-+R+-mK-0 White had not at all intended to think after this only defence and had written down the natural 19.Bh6. Black now has no move other than 19...Kh8. Then 20.Rd3. Again, against the threat of 21.Rh3 there is a single defence f5 (leading to mate is 20...Rg8 21.Rh3 and 22.Bf8 cannot be avoided) 21.Qxe7 Nxe7 22.Bxf8 Rxf8 23.Rxd6, and because of the threat of 24.Rd7 the opponent is forced to agree to a very difficult endgame: 23...Bxe4 24.Nxe4 fxe4 25.Rxa6. To my misfortune, I suddenly noticed that instead of 23...Bxe4 there is the stronger 23...Nc8!, chasing the rook from the 6th rank. I noticed this and was terribly upset, without any justification for this. It was worth continuing the variation a little - 24.Rd7 Bxe4 25.Nxe4 fxe4 26.Kf2 (for example), and there is no need for deep analysis in order to convince oneself that in this endgame White's advantage is undoubted. As it often turns out in such cases, a 'corrected' variant of the attack proves to be much less effective. 19.Rd3 I am afraid to confess to it, but seemingly I was seduced by a cheap trap Kh8?? 20.Bd4! Nxd4 21.Rh f5! The only move. Black immediately connects the queen to the defence. 20.Bg5 f6 21.Bh6 fxe4! Very strong. Black readily gives up the queen, in return liquidating almost all of the attacking pieces of the opponent. Already now White has no choice, otherwise he is simply left minus a pawn.

4 22.Rg3+ Kh8 23.Bg7+ Qxg7 24.Rxg7 Kxg7 25.Nxe4 Ne5 26.Ng3 Ng6 Perhaps it was not worth removing the ideally-placed knight. Continuing 26...Kh8, Black obtained a noticeable advantage. 27.Qd4 The essence of the position consists in the fact that now White's hopes are associated with play on the queen's flank Kh8 All the same 28.Nh5 was threatened. 28.Nh5 There is absolutely no reason to drive the enemy knight to the active position that it recently abandoned voluntarily. The immediate 28.Qb6 Rd7 29.a4 bxa4 30.Bxa6 (or 30.c4) led to a double-edged game, in which it would have been very far from simple for Black to demonstrate that the strength of his pawn 'bunch' in the centre outweighs the activity of the white queen and bishop Ne5 The continuation 28...e5 forced White to set foot on the correct path (29.Qb6 and 30.c4). This did not suit Hübner. 8-+-tr-tr-mk0 7+l+-+-+p0 6p+-zppzp-+0 5+p+-sn-+N0 4-+-wQ zP zPP+L+PzP mK-0 29.Qh4?? Absolutely not on this side! In the 5th hour of play I had lost all orientation in position and, frankly speaking, at this point was thinking only of agreeing a draw after the 'forced' 29...Ng6 30.Qd4 Ne5. Naturally, here too the invasion of the queen on the queen's flank secured White very decent chances Rd7! 30.Nxf6 I have not attacked a question mark to this move, since it was intended earlier. Even having lost

5 two tempi, White, continuing 30.a4, or even the demonstrative 30.Qd4, retained a defensible position Rg7 I cannot explain what guided White in opening lines for the enemy rooks. Seemingly, I intended here to continue 31.Ng4, after which Black wins in various ways, but most simply of all with the help of a little combination Bxg2! 32.Kxg2 (32.h3 Bxh3) 32...Nxg4 33.Bxg4 Rxg4+, transposing to a pawn endgame with an extra pawn. There is no other defence of the g2 pawn. In reply to 31.g3 there can follow 31...Rgf7 32.Ne4 (32.Ng4) 32...Rf1+!, while on 31.g4 immediately winning is 31...Bf3. 31.Qh6 Activity to the end! 31...Rxg2+ 32.Kf1 Rf7 Threatening 33...Rg6. 33.Bh5 Ng4 34.Bxg4 Rxg4 White resigned in view of the inevitable loss of a piece.